Skyrim Tips and Tricks

Updated on November 15, 2011

The Elder Scrolls series of RPG games has long been a staple for many gamers, and on Nov 11 2011 Bethesda is set to launch it's newest installment. Skyrim will be the successor to the wildly popular Oblivion a game much beloved for its rich open world and stunning graphics. Oblivion was not without it's week points and thus this time around Bethesda has worked doubly hard to take what worked in oblvion, throw out what didn't, and finally added a healthy helping of dragons on top to make Skyrim one of the most anticipated games of 2011.

So what is skyrim all about? Here is a breif overview of the game.

Skyrim Overview

The once mighty Empire has fractured after the events of Oblivion and the death of the last emperor has caused the provinces to erupt into civil war. Skyrim, the northernmost and perhaps harshest province and home to the Nords is where the player will find themselves, on the eve of their execution.

Instead of meeting death however, the player will instead learn that they are in fact Dragonborn, the last of a blessed few capable of not only slaying, but also mastering the dragons with powerful shouts. And with this knowledge too comes the understanding that the dragons have returned to Cyrodiil because of the rise of the Nordic god of destruction, Anduil who has himself taken the form of an enormous black dragon. Armed with this knowledge and little else the player is released into the enormous province of Skyrim to make his or her mark on the world, and perhaps even save it.

Check the footage below of the official game trailer

Features

Skyrim will feature a whole host of improvements and features that have not been seen before. Instead of the standard leveling and character creation system, the developers have decided this time around to go with a much more streamlined and intuitive system, getting rid of some redudant skills, and including perks similar to those found in the fallout series.

Beyond that, the world has been improved with dynamic snow fall, vast mountainous regions and forests, random dragon encounters, radiant AI as well as a Radiant Quest System.

Bethesda has said that this time around the really focused on combat, attempting to make it feel more real and visceral so that the player actually feels like they are holding weapons in their hands.

Useful Skyrim Guides

Tips and Tricks

Horses really help in exploration. They are able to climb slopes that characters can't. Use them to scale seemingly impossible cliff faces.

Dragon Battles

Dragons will only land if there is a clear patch of ground for them.

Use a bow or ranged spell to hit them before they hit the ground

Melee or use spells at close range once they land

So far reports have come in that stealth characters have a bit more trouble with dragon encounters. Plan accordingly.

Dragon fights can happen at anytime. Always be prepared by having healing potions on hand at all times

Use rocks and other cover to protect yourself from incoming Elemental attacks

Take the block perk that allows shields to block 50% of incoming elemental damage

Avoid giants, mammoths and trolls early on. They prove to be harder than dragon fights at first.

If you are having trouble with mages, try dodging their attacks by hiding behind cover. Wait till they use up most of their magicka and then attack back with lightning based attacks. Lightning attacks also damage their mana reserves preventing them from continually casting spells.

Even if you are not a spell caster, make sure to have a couple of utility spells. A healing spell, as well as a Atronach summoning spell can help a lot during long drawn out fights.

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